2010 Poetry Theme Challenges

#Out of this World

I came across the poem below and others by Scott Speck, and being a sci-fi nut I found them a real pleasure to read.
It also got me thinking there doesn't seem to be a lot of science fiction in poetry, even my own work rarely touches
one of my favourite genres so this challenge is a must do for all Trekkies and Dr Who fans. The theme is science
fiction, (Out of this World).

The Machine

A Machine lives somewhere
deep inside our house.
It's here, I can feel it --
invisible, inaudible, untouchable.
It travels with us,
translocating, house to house,
when the last box is heaved
inside the moving van.

Its parts never wear out or break.
Its power is inexhaustible,
ceaseless, unflickering,
even in the worst of thunderstorms.
Its location is unfindable,
tucked away in a pinch of space
that's warped away from ours.
It is apart from us,
but its inscrutable mind
perceives our every thought.

Some higher power gifted us
with this miracle Machine,
advanced forever beyond
what mortals might design
of silicon, solder, wire.

It creates a sphere of infinite protection
around our humble house,
an invisible field through which no force,
however powerful, intelligent, or clever,
could hope to penetrate and harm.
It would muffle nuclear destruction
to the softest sunset glow.
It would crush a streaking asteroid to dust
without the gentlest rooftop "bump".
A thief, a cutthroat, a would-be killer,
the Machine would bind, gag, and transport,
complete with videotaped confession,
to police HQ.

At night, it lulls us to a restful sleep,
and propels us, our dog, our cats,
on fantastic journeys
to worlds within, beyond our own.
It secrets us in safety
while unseen evil glides above.
It cleans the air of poison,
filters our water, cool and clear,
before we fill a glass.
I wish that you, like us, had
an unseen, all-protecting friend.
I'd buy you one, if I could,
but I can't.

I don't know when the Machine arrived,
or why --
only that it's here,
it's ours,
and it will never, ever leave us
behind.

The beauty of the Dawn
On a perfect clear morn
As it rises above earths clouds;
Like ripples in the sea
Clouds appear to me
As soft as cotton shroud;
To fly beyond blue skys
This magical moment high
Of this Earth my heart is proud.

To fly high in the skies
Shows morning in disguise
While the dreams of poets flow;
Upon a red canvas dawn
Artisitic words are drawn
From the beauty it doth show;
To captivate the mind
Years past we were once blind
If we never flew, who would know.

-----

Maiden And Unicorn

Deep in a forest, where fantasies reign
Way back in the midst of medieval times,
There dwelt a maiden, with hair of gold,
And her father was king of the realms,
Her beauty known throughout the lands,
But her only love was a mythical beast,
That only she, being a virgin, could tame.

A mythical Unicorn, roamed the earth
This beast of beauty with untold grace,
And finest coat, of the purest of white,
But alas! was hunted, for his magical horn,
Once believed to have medicinal powers,
And only this virgin could tame the beast
So they used her, for the beast to lure.

One stormy day, in this time of great myths
Deep in the heart, of the forest clearing,
In the wind, the rain, and mystical mist,
Sped a magnificent white, tamed Unicorn
With the virgin maiden, astride his back,
Leaping the arch of a shadowed rainbow,
Carrying her far, beyond the azure skies.

Oh how they sped through starlit skies,
Past whirl wind holes, to the milky way,
Breath of foam, from his nostrils blew
He paced the universe to reach their goal,
Through comets, fire and shooting stars.
In another galaxy to a world unknown
To planet Auriga, where Unicorns roam.

The beautiful maiden held tight his mane,
She entered his world of myth and lore.
Where Unicorns dwell in a land of love,
Wild and free, in their magical fantasy,
Mystic moons surround the vast domain,
As cool rivers flow with running water,
In planet Auriga, the Unicorns home.

She somehow knew that she did belong,
To this land of love and peace within.
Far from her fathers hunters of horn.
She remained on the planet Auriga
When Earths clouds float gently by
Picking out shapes within your eyes,
She rides. on the back of her Unicorn.

-----

Up And Beyond

She shall fly thro` clouds on high
Upon a magical carpet of satin
To follow the geese thro` the sky.
Into this mystical haven so fair
With beautiful fragrant flowers
Woven as ribbons within her hair
Violets blossom from the bower.

Her silent dreams showed the way
Dense the mist thro` fluffy clouds
Voices from guardian angels say
Soft as a whisper they did provoke
Go back, go back where you belong
Your place is not here they did evoke
Down to earth from up and beyond.

A man alone in outer space
The first to hear the ultimate silence
And to see darkest night,
With the brightest stars
From outside his craft

He is not the last, but he was the first

How I envy that man,
Not because he was the first
But because he walked in outer space
Because he has been in outer space.

If he had died he would still have gone
He nearly did, but he lives on.

-----

Juno

The woman from the stars
Talks with the man from mars.
The jealous sun hides his face,
Knowing he can't have her
But he can't help but care.
But she is from outer space
How can she love the sun?
His life has just begun,
Eternity has no place.

-----

The Tale Of A Spaceman

This is the tale of a spaceman
Who as yet has been given no name.
Names aren't needed when you fly alone
And have no parents you can claim.
Living and brought up by robots
Who teach you the rules of life's game.

He's the master of a human cargo spaceship
The survivors of a world gone wrong.
On a journey to a light years distant planet
To a world he could never belong.
For he and all the spacemen like him
Could never live that long.

So a group of people were specially chosen,
Who would control things aboard these ships.
Ships that contained a world's population
Less the ones the selectors chose to skip.
Like the poor, and the uneducated nations,
And religions not welcomed on this trip.

No one would ever dare speak out,
Lest their name be missed from the draw,
For the people that run this lotto
Were beyond the grasp of the law.
And the older and infirm have to stay behind
That is seen by some as a flaw.

The years of first settled are seen to be hard
Of that no one could ever doubt.
But remember the other pilgrims
Who kicked the local natives out.
They'd saved them, and help them survive
And for that, were given a clout.

Other nations were seen as no different
And in fact were probably worse,
For all their territorial acquisition
Was controlled by a powerful purse
And was wondered could this new future
End up being far worse.

Realising the history of humankind
The young spaceman sat thoughtfully in his seat
Pondering the past and thinking of the future,
Realising the human being's conceit.
Pushed the button and the spaceship exploded
And all traces destroyed by the heat.

Mercury calling! we hear you are having trouble licking your governments into shape.
Hard-line capitalists are camped out on the Hill
and religious Fundamentalists are broadcasting garbage from high-tech toilets;
superstition and greed are rife - half of South Africa is on strike
and a well-known television evangelist is diddling the President's wife.
People are dying daily and national sport teams are taking bribes
- it isn't cricket!

Once here on Mercury we were in almost as much disarray as you
in fact things got so bad that terrorists had to be made to take a ticket and form an orderly queue
to get a chance to blow up their targets.
Oh you could buy a hand-held thermo-nuclear device in every open or high street market
but try to get a decent detonator? Forget it!
You remember all that sun-spot activity in the sixties?
That wasn't really sunspots but a clearence sale at Woolworth's on our planet's darkside.

Oh you think that this is a hoax: that Mercury is either too hot or too cold to sustain any form of life?
Well, you're very nearly right...
Once we had rainforests and great oceans (admittedly they were rather hot)
but like you we couldn't get our act together.
Our seas all boiled
our linen was soiled
our government stank
the President drank so much he drowned
and the Mercurian equivalent of Madonna was elected Queen of the World
because nobody could think of anyone better.
Things were dour but then one day everybody had just had enough
(it was about the time Madonna and Kylie's Greatest Hits Together Volume Five came out)
and got together to talk it over.
When we got tired of talking we sent out for pizza and drank pepsi cola
but we were determined to arrive at a solution
before our planet was destroyed or we became too full of gas.

Now we are the most enlightened planet in the Solar System (although we still drink too much cola).
If we are the Top Dog in the cosmological order of things
you guys are definitely the Dumb Ass!
Listen up, Earth dudes, either realise that all things are one
or like us, you'll almost become toast.
OK that's our good deed for the day... we're all off now to our one remaining coast for a barbie.
If you're still here when we get back
we'll tell you where all the Dodo's went
and what to do with all your bananas that are bent.

Oh this romance amongst the planes
Of space and thoughts shared with the stars,
Yet another science of hearts lanes
Which drives us to toast to loves arts.
Surely the cyber waves carry
The same juxtaposed beat to breath,
Hand to mouse we shared, then tarry
There in hopes that love won't find death.

Oh this romance amongst the planes
Is our best star ship Enterprise
Yet side by side we'll ever feign
To dance the dance, for loves our prise.
Not a trip to Alpha Centauri
But a place not yet on the maps,
A finer train to ride glory
The sunrise valued more than baps.